Commercial Bank marks a decade of remittance operations in Qatar

Wednesday, 9 July 2014 00:28 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Business partners and Sri Lankans employed in foreign remittance services were hosted to two memorable events, when Commercial Bank of Ceylon celebrated the 10th anniversary of remittance operations in the Kingdom of Qatar recently. A delegation lead by Deputy General Manager Personal Banking S. Renganathan, Chief Manager e-Banking and Remittances Pradeep Banduwansa, and representatives of the Treasury, e-Banking and Marketing departments represented the bank at these ceremonies. The team also met with business partners and Exchange Houses to discuss the future of the remittance business.

The main ceremony, a felicitation of Sri Lankan support staff and senior management of Exchange Houses took place at the Grand Merqure hotel in Doha with 100% participation, the bank said. Popular comedians from Sri Lanka entertained the audience. The Commercial Bank also hosted a cocktail which was attended by professionals, bankers, businessmen, and top executives of Exchange Houses. At this event, a presentation on ‘Investment Options’ was made by the Bank’s Chief Dealer, Treasury Asela Wijesiriwardene. Qatar is one of the largest markets for remittances with a Sri Lankan expatriate population of 125,000. Commercial Bank has stationed three Business Promotion Officers in Qatar to assist Sri Lankans working in the country.

The Commercial Bank of Ceylon is one of the most active players in Sri Lanka in the field of remittances, offering customers a range of options including the bank’s own e-Exchange platform, as well as the facility of receiving funds via global players such as Moneygram, Xpress Money and Ria Financial Services. The only Sri Lankan bank to be listed four years consecutively in the world’s Top 1,000 Banks, Commercial Bank operates a network of 235 branches and 594 ATMs in Sri Lanka. Ranked the most valuable private sector brand in the country in 2014, the bank has won multiple awards as Sri Lanka’s best bank over several years, and was adjudged one of the country’s 10 best corporate citizens by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce in 2013.